Ever spent hours going back and forth with a client who claims you gave advice you know you didn’t? Or found yourself asking, “Wait, what exactly did they say?”
Attorneys rely on accurate records of client conversations. But too often, those records are either incomplete, filed incorrectly, or in the worst-case scenario, nonexistent. One missed detail can mean hours retracing your steps, searching for that one scribbled note about an important matter from last Tuesday’s call.
Imagine recording your calls automatically (legally and with disclosure), then getting an instant transcript and summary that can be neatly stored as a file note in your practice management system (PMS).
In this article, we’ll explore how artificial intelligence (AI) is making this possible, explain how AI phone call transcripts and call summaries work, discuss why lawyers are ditching handwritten call notes, and show how law firms are already using AI transcription and summaries to stay ahead.
What is a phone call transcription?
Ever tried taking notes during a call, only to look back later and wonder what on earth you wrote? With call transcription, you can skip the scribbling entirely.
AI phone call transcription software converts your recorded calls (and voicemails) to text. Instead of frantically writing down dates, names and details during a client call, you can actually focus on the conversation knowing every word will be captured. Later, when you’re prepping for court or drafting an agreement, the full call transcript is there to back you up.
With VXT’s free transcripts call conversations can be automatically saved as a file note against a matter inside your practice management system (PMS).
Not sure which PMS is right for you? Watch our video on the top things to consider when choosing a PMS for your law firm.
What is an AI phone call summary?
AI can take call transcription a step further too. Let’s say a 5-minute client check-in turned into a 30-minute deep dive (yep, we all have those). Instead of sifting through every word, AI generates a structured summary, giving you the highlights in seconds. Think of it as the TL;DR of your call.
Whether you’re recapping a meeting or following up with a client, AI call summaries save you the pain of reviewing lengthy transcripts. What’s even better is VXT lets you customize the prompt for AI call summaries. So whether you need bullet points, key action items, or a formal case summary, you can match this to suit your firm’s documentation style.
Top 3 reasons why law firms should use AI phone call transcripts and call summaries
Whether you’re trying to resolve a client dispute or want to stop scribbling notes like a student cramming for finals, AI-powered transcriptions and summaries help law firms mitigate risk, save time, and manage cases with ease.
Here’s a few ways how:
1. Resolve disputes with confidence
"One time, a client insisted I had given them advice that I knew I hadn’t. I pulled up the transcript and proved exactly what was said. That single instance saved me from a major liability claim and thousands of dollars.” — Stuart Ruddell, Director of JBM Associates & Limited
After a call, notes might end up on a legal pad, in a Word document, or (let’s be honest) lost entirely. This creates unnecessary risk and a tough time proving what was said.
Call transcripts solve this by documenting all of your conversations in your PMS automatically (more on that below!).
Maintaining accurate records of all of your client communication helps:
- Resolve disputes: Instead of diving into a stressful game of “he said, she said,” you can present a recorded call or call transcript as clear evidence of conversations to settle complaints or disagreements.
- Reduce liability: Maintain detailed records that protect your firm from compliance breaches or malpractice claims and save money by avoiding costly legal disputes.
With VXT there’s no need to be relying on memory or manually transferring handwritten notes. Whether it’s for regulatory compliance, resolving complaints, or just keeping accurate records, this feature helps you mitigate risk and respond to disputes with confidence.
2. Save 5 minutes on every call and hours on extra admin
Taking notes during a call can be distracting, while writing notes afterward can be tedious and lead to forgotten details. Let AI summarize the conversation into bite-sized highlights and action items instead.
AI phone call transcriptions and summaries help you work smarter, not harder:
- Skip manual note-taking: Let VXT’s AI-powered transcriptions handle the heavy lifting so you can focus on being present in the conversation.
- Speed up decision-making: Use AI call summaries to instantly pinpoint action items and highlights.
- Spend less time on paperwork and more time on high-value case work: Instead of sifting through transcripts, or even worse, listening back to the full call, you can get quick access to the info you need via the file note that was automatically saved in your PMS.
Call transcriptions and AI summaries cut down hours of tedious admin. Stop replaying calls and hunting through mountains of notes and get the info you need instantly.
3. Automatically save your AI transcript and summary to your PMS
Most AI transcription tools — like Otter.ai and Fireflies.ai — don’t work with phone calls. Sure, they can create accurate transcripts, but they don’t connect to your legal tools. This means attorneys still have to copy and paste transcripts into their PMS — or worse, store them elsewhere, making them hard to retrieve later. Not to mention many of these transcription services have varying degrees of paid tier pricing!
Unlike generic AI note-taking apps, VXT is a phone system built for law firms. Every AI phone call transcript and summary (which is free, by the way) can be saved directly to a file note against the correct matter in your PMS. VXT has 15+ legal software integrations (and there’s even more coming soon).
Simplify how you organize case details with these benefits:
- No more manual uploads or forgetting to make a file note: Every call can be transcribed and stored in your PMS automatically.
- Improve teamwork and collaboration: Share call summaries and call transcripts so everyone stays on the same page.
If your PMS is your single source of truth, you can log calls, recordings and texts all in one. This keeps your whole team aligned and ensures your clients don’t have to repeat themselves.
Learn how Rutherford law were able to improve their case management by switching to VXT.
How to start transcribing and summarizing calls in VXT
VXT automatically transcribes every recorded call, which can then be saved as a file note in your PMS. It’s like having your own assistant join your calls and jot down every word for you (and who always stores notes in the right place!).
With VXT you can capture only what matters most with the ability to toggle recording on and off during calls. Following a call, any part of the conversation that you recorded, will automatically be transcribed.
Here’s how easy it is to start transcribing and summarizing calls in VXT:
AI phone call transcription and summary steps:
1. Record a call manually (it’s easy to switch on or off during a call) or enable auto-recording prior to the call.
2. After the recorded call, VXT will analyse the audio and convert it to text.
3. Click ‘Transcription’ to view the full conversation as a transcript with the correct speaker labels.
4. Hit ‘Summary’ to view the highlights of the conversation.
5. The call summary will already have saved to the correct matter in your PMS.
Is call recording legal?
Yes, call recording is legal, but you must follow local disclosure laws. In many regions, disclosing that you’re recording a call is required by law. Some regions may only require one party consent.
VXT makes disclosure easy with built-in recording announcements or customizable greetings. VXT’s implementation team and support will help train your firm on how to use this feature to manage disclosure.
Case Study: How Nest Legal uses VXT for AI phone call transcripts and summaries
Between back-to-back client calls and never-ending admin work, things pile up fast. For law firms like Nest Legal, AI-powered call summaries mean less paperwork and more time advising clients.
The ‘tech discovery of the year’: VXT + Smokeball’s Archie AI
Since Nest Legal already used Smokeball as their PMS, VXT was the perfect fit for a phone system, given its deep integration with Smokeball. This setup meant calls, transcripts, and notes could be synced directly to client matters in Smokeball.
For Nest Legal, the most powerful part of this combination was how VXT’s phone call transcripts pair with Smokeball’s Archie AI. Archie is an AI matter assistant, providing answers to questions attorneys may have about their matter.
“My absolute favorite tech discovery last year was that magical combination,” Nest Legal founder, Laura Vickers, says.
“With VXT, every call is transcribed. Then, I can right-click in Smokeball and can ask Archie about whether something specific was discussed on the call.”
For a fixed fee firm, this was a huge time-saver. Nest Legal’s attorneys can summarize conversations, pull out key points and generate notes for a client matter in a matter of seconds.
“If I’m jumping into a case someone else handled, I don’t have to read an entire transcript. I just right-click and get a quick summary of the client’s history, correspondence, and next steps.”
Ditch the manual notes and start summarizing your calls today
VXT’s AI phone call transcription and summaries means you spend less time replaying calls and more time focusing on billable work, case strategy and winning cases. In short: transcribing and summarizing calls isn’t just helpful, it’s the way to happier clients, simple workflows, and less stress.
Handwritten call notes are dead. Let VXT’s AI handle your call documentation instead.
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